PHOSPHORESCENT SEAS. 393 



a reddish or purplish hue ; and in a bay on the 

 west coast of Africa the waters always have 

 almost the appearance of being tinged with 

 blood: in both cases the effect is due to the 

 colour of the bottom. 



The beautiful phosphorescence, familiar to 

 residents on the sea-coast, and well known to 

 fishermen, who term the sea brimy when its sur- 

 face, on being agitated by the air or tide, flashes 

 with phosphorescent light, is generally supposed 

 to be principally due to phosphorescent animal- 

 cules. Sometimes the appearance is so marked 

 as to form a most curious and splendid spectacle. 

 Waves of heaving fire rise and fall, flashing in 

 the dark night with a lustre of indescribable 

 brilliancy, and, as far as the eye can see, an 

 ocean of fire appears to toss its waves, emitting 

 a beautifully pure and pale light. Under the 

 bows of the vessel, or in the water-line in her 

 wake, ripples of flashing brilliancy play, and 

 the path of the ship becomes marked with a 

 long line of moving light. When water is taken 

 from the surface it possesses the same luminous 

 properties. Sometimes the luminosity has dif- 

 ferent tints ; in tropical waters it is often white 

 as snow, and the whole surface of the deep 

 appears like a field covered with new-fallen 

 snow. In the Gulf of Guinea the surface of 

 the water sometimes appears of the most bril- 



